Glen David Gold’s “Sunnyside”
This novel of Charlie Chaplin only has its main character in about a third of the book. The rest is … everywhere. To say that this is a "sprawling" novel is an understatement. There are some wonderful parts, but I had a hard time figuring out how they all related to each other. By the end, the through-line appear to be simply, "movies." And Gold really captures the way that they cross culture and boundaries. (I recall Kate Winslet telling a story of hiking somewhere remote in northern India, where she met a monk. The monk squinted at her and Read more…
Just saw “Extract,” the new Mike Judge movie. Kinda funny, but uneven. Rent it if you’re interested.
Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds
Earlier this week Mary and I saw Inglourious Basterds. It is a very good movie. It is surprisingly not as violent as some of Tarantino's other films, but all that means is that when you get to the violence, it stands out all the more. I definitely flinched from the screen a few times. I do think the Stranger had a pretty accurate take: Everything you love and hate about Quentin Tarantino films finds a home in his cartoon Nazi thriller Inglourious Basterds: the colorful prattle, the insistent thrills, the horrifying violence, and the long, boring conversations you're manipulated into Read more…
The Constitution as a comic book …
via feedproxy.google.com This actually seems like a good way to learn something.
I learned something about soil erosion last night …
Last night at City Club we heard from David Montgomery, a geomorphologist at the University of Washington. I've never heard of geomorphology, but it was an interesting presentation on … soil erosion. Really! Montgomery's main argument breaks down pretty simply: Farming allows civilization to happen. But plowing the earth, by default, erodes soil faster than it can naturally come back. Therefore over time, a civilization's soil becomes unable to keep up with the demands put on it. And then they fail. It takes a big leap to go from soil erosion to the collapse of civilization. And in fact, Montgomery Read more…
Callaghan’s Tour of Endangered Landmarks in Tacoma … THAT COULD KILL YOU!
At least Galloping Gertie only took out a dog. These places could do a lot worse, at least if the apocalyptic engineering reports are to be believed. Please, stay together. via thenewstribune.com I thought this was pretty funny.
Instead of Facebook, why not calculate the center of gravity?
Think of other things you could be doing with your time spent on Facebook. If you find yourself spending, say, 10 hours a week on Facebook, make a list of all the other things you could accomplish in that time. You could: pick up a part time job and invest that money in stocks teach a child how to throw a football get fit build a gas scooter or an adobe wall calculate the center of gravity volunteer Read a book teach yourself a new language make a papasan chair cushion via wikihow.com I just read Virginia Heffernan’s article about Read more…
Another Kennedy eulogy — this time by Andew Sullivan
He also worked across the aisle, helping George W Bush to pass his No Child Left Behind Act to improve school standards, joining with John McCain to forge a humane immigration reform. He was a senator able to be fiercely ideological and also fiercely pragmatic, able to develop friendships beyond politics – friendships that are the grease that makes the Senate work. He was a master of parliamentary procedures and the helm of a ship of highly skilled staffers. He was also, of course, a politician. Despite being a proponent of green energy, he single-handedly prevented the construction of a Read more…
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